Courage With Both Hands
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day six hundred and seventy-four: She's not just going to lie there. She's not scared to give it a shot. So she goes...


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 32nd cycle. Now cycle 33!_

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><p><strong>Hear that little bird twitter!<strong> _Been thinking about doing this for a couple days, then this morning decided to just go for it. If you go there, find 'gleekathon' and there I'll be. There's also a video explaining everything... Yep... ;) Check it out!_

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><p><strong>"Courage With Both Hands"<br>Mike/Tina  
>[AN: This is present/canon M/T, in no way related to my Chang Squared series] **

He was trying to humor her; she could tell. He told her how tiny and big she looked at the same time, and they laughed, and they kissed, but underneath all that Tina knew Mike was scared for her. She wasn't a football player, and she could very easily get squashed by any of those guys. She tried to comfort him, promising they would stay on the ground, all of them girls, except… Maybe he was seeing through her, deep where no one else would.

She hadn't breathed a word of it, sensing it would manage to find its way back to her mother, who would sooner lock her up in her room than let her consider it, but she saw the game another way. She kind of didn't want to stay lying down. She wasn't looking to do this in any permanent situation, but if it was just the one time, then why not? Why not play? She was sure even she could do something for the team.

She had been the shy girl for so long, but she was changing, had been changing for a while now. And she was willing more and more, to just step out of that box and try… just try… Even if she would do it only one time, at least, it would be one time more than nothing at all.

And now they needed them, the team… the team which, at this point, was composed entirely of the guys in Glee Club, one of which was her boyfriend. All of them, they were family, and family helped one another. The way she saw it, she could help a lot more by playing than by lying down and letting the guys take on four more people than they had, because those extra four were lying on the ground like they didn't exist.

But she would do it. She would lie down. If she even suggested it, at the wrong time, then they would shut her out, the girls' plan would fall apart, the boys wouldn't get to play, and the team would lose… worse… forfeit. No, she didn't want that, for any of them. So, at least to start, she would do as she'd been told.

The day of the game, after she'd put on the uniform, she would stretch, bend, turn, run, basically get used to her range of motion… maybe see how it would feel to play, to really play. Stepping out on that field, she felt so powerful… badass… The energy was insane, all of them stepping into place, New Directions plus Titans… New Titans, for one night only.

The game began, and Tina and the other girls took their cue to drop flat on the ground. The padding absorbed the shock, though it did nothing for the rush and the rumbling of feet running overhead. She had no idea what was happening unless people cried out or the whistle was blown… and what she heard was no good at all. She was growing frustrated, wanted to do something, anything, and for the first time she voiced her wish as they stood in the huddle. But then the order was the same: lie down, do nothing.

The next time she took her dive, she almost wanted the shock; at least it would give her to focus on instead of the knowledge that they were letting them lose…

She sort of felt it whizzing by, thump on the ground, nearby, and she dared lifting her head. It was right there, the ball, and no one was coming for it. She could just get up, take it and run and she'd be clear. She could… she could…

Don't think, just go for it, no turning back, go… go…

She didn't have time to think further than the actions she took: up, run, take, run, run, run… And then everything stopped… Black out…

She was out, and she didn't see what Mike saw. He barely had time to register that it was her, running, when the guy came out of nowhere and took her down. It was like hysterical deafness coupled with tunnel vision. He heard nothing, saw only her… not moving… He couldn't breathe, and why wasn't she moving?

He dashed up to her, wanting to turn her over but, on top of concerns for possible injuries, he was so afraid of what he'd find. They turned her, and her eyes were closed… His heart was ramming so hard in his chest he was almost expecting it to resonate in his padding. Maybe she was just unconscious, not… Maybe she…

He saw her move, but he still couldn't feel she was alright yet, she could be… But then she spoke… Oh, the best words possible, and she let the air rush back through his lungs.

They got her on her feet and off the field, and he wouldn't leave her side, wouldn't let go of her hand, and it was her who pointed out… "Your hand is shaking."

"Is it?" he looked down at the other one… His hand trembled. They sat Tina down and he sat at her side. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just kind of stunned, you know? Feel like I ran into a wall," she patted her head. "I'm going to be sore tomorrow. But I'm good to go."

"No…" Mike shook his head, and she looked at him. He gazed into her eyes, bright again. "Do you have any idea how scared I was? You weren't moving, I thought…" he lowered his head, and she saw it in him, that fear, bound with love. She gave his hand a squeeze and he looked back at her, allowing her to kiss him… She didn't want him to be scared like that again… It would only make matters worse.

"What about the game though?"

"Not important," he shook his head. "But I think Finn and the others are working it out now." He stopped there, and she knew the words he needed her to say… More importantly, she was okay with saying them. The experience had been small, but it had surpassed all expectations. She'd done something. It didn't affect the score, but maybe in the long run it would have helped in other ways.

"I'll go back," she started, and for a moment he tensed, "For the half-time show, and then, Mike Chang, as your personal support team," she spoke with a shake of her fist in the air. It dislodged a laugh from his throat.

"You always are," he promised and she smiled, kissing him again.

"I would have made it, you know?" she told him as they stood again. "If that guy hadn't tackled me…"

"Yeah, you would," he smirked.

"But I'll be just as happy to go and zombify and dance out on that field." He gave the low grunt they had entitled 'zombie in love' and she burst out laughing.

"Zombies win," he grunted, and she returned the call.

He still hadn't let go of her hand. His didn't tremble anymore, though she knew he would always, always remain steadfast at her side.

THE END

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><p><strong>AN: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
><strong>**In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
><strong>******always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!******


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